The recommendations come as another attempt to improve the hospital, which has faced multi-million dollar deficits in the past. University officials have said that Dempsey is “too small” and “outdated,” according to the report. Recently, UConn proposed a merger between the hospital and Hartford (Conn.) Hospital, which was scrapped in Nov. 2009 after officials felt it could not get enough support.
Recommendations for the update include:
- Updates to the existing building and new clinical space at Dempsey that would result in a hospital with 250-267 beds, for which the university would need $25 million over the next two years to plan. The eventual capital investment would cost “in the range of” $332 million to $342 million, according to the report.
- Create a “Downtown UConn Academic Health Center Campus,” which would include collaboration with other area hospitals, which also would require $25 million for planning and collaboration efforts over the next two years.
- Negotiate with Connecticut Children’s Medical Center to transfer Dempsey’s neonatal intensive care unit operations to the children’s hospital.
- Increase the size of the medical school class and dental residency programs.
Former opponents of the UConn/Hartford merger have spoken out in support of this plan, saying they are looking forward to receiving more information regarding the development of project.
Read the Courant’s report on UConn’s John Dempsey Hospital.
